


Brumm

by Hisha



Series: Joining The Troupe [2]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Brumm's backstory, Gen, Nymm & Grimm being childhood friends, Origin Story, Pre-Canon, Whether this Grimm is the same as the one in the game or a different one is up to interpretation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24198670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hisha/pseuds/Hisha
Summary: How Nymm met Grimm and decided to become Brumm
Relationships: Grimm & Nymm (Hollow Knight)
Series: Joining The Troupe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1745296
Comments: 12
Kudos: 26





	Brumm

**Author's Note:**

> Hulerces was based on [this picture of a Hercules beetle I found](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Dynastes_hercules_ecuatorianus_MHNT.jpg/1920px-Dynastes_hercules_ecuatorianus_MHNT.jpg)

All Nymm had left now was an accordion he had found in an abandoned home somewhere. The inhabitants had left it behind when fleeing the war. The instrument was slightly too big for the child to use, but he tried anyway. If he could teach himself to play it...

He was sitting on a bench outside, trying to figure out how the accordion worked, when a big shadow passed in front of him. He looked up.

It was the biggest beetle he had ever seen. Perched atop the beetle's yellow back was a child with huge scarlet eyes who surely couldn't see much of the road ahead with the adult's enormous horns in the way. The duo passed by without paying attention to Nymm at first and went into one of the few stores that had reopened. It was on their way back that they finally looked in his direction.

“Are you lost?” the beetle asked.

“No”, Nymm replied. “Who's that on your back?”

The other child leaned to the side to give a friendly wave without being obscured by the adult's horns.

“This is Tiny”, the beetle said, causing the child to sigh audibly. “Long story short, I got him after I lit a weird beacon and had to go on a quest. Anyway, if you're not lost, then I better get going.”

He noticed the plate on the bench next to Nymm that already contained a few bits of donated food and currency and tossed a coin in it before leaving.

After the first encounter, Nymm kept seeing the duo around from time to time as he walked what was left of the kingdom in search of an accordion teacher. He learned from passing conversations between adults that the giant beetle's name was Hulerces and he used to be a soldier. If anyone knew where the child in his care came from, they were not talking about it.

Nymm was playing his too-big accordion in the street when Hulerces came to him, followed by the red-eyed child walking behind him.

“You're actually getting a bit better at this”, the beetle said. “Say, I always see you around alone. Where are your parents?”

“They died in the war”, Nymm replied.

“Soldiers?”

“No.”

“Civilian casualties, huh?” the giant concluded in a somber tone.

The child accompanying him teleported right next to Nymm.

“I am sorry for your loss”, he said. “What is your name?”

“Nymm.”

He started giving the aspiring musician directions to where he lived before his caretaker interrupted him :

“I have more than enough work with you, I don't need another orphan around. We should ask someone else to take care of him.”

“Well then...” the child continued. “The herbologist is putting up a Help Wanted sign right now. If you aid her, she might be able to offer you a place to sleep.”

Hulerces gave Nymm a coin, wished him good luck, and left. The child in his care reluctantly followed.

It didn't take long for Nymm to find the herbologist and her sign. She wasn't the teacher he was looking for, but if he could get a place to sleep and a warm meal, it was worth a shot.

The herbologist was a tall, thin stick bug that he had mistaken for a pole until she had started moving to look down at him.

“Where are your parents?” she asked.

“They're dead. Can I work here?”

She starred at him for a long moment, then at her Help Wanted sign. Slowly, she extended her hands to grab the sign and removed it from her shop window.

“Get in”, she told the child. “I am not letting you roam outside alone.”

She opened the door and they went inside. She quickly indicated which of the plants in her shop he should absolutely never touch. Fortunately, all of them were stored too high up for him to reach anyway.

The herbologist asked Nymm what he wanted to eat. After he gave his answer, she told him to wait here without touching anything while she went out to buy the food. While waiting for her, he leaned against a door (the walls were all covered in shelves full of potted plants) and practiced with his accordion.

When she came back, she fashioned him a bed of moss and leaves in the back room while he ate.

Nymm's next day was dedicated to cleaning every single surface of the shop while the herbologist worked in her lab upstairs. Before this, he had never suspected cleaning could take this long. He barely had the time to touch his accordion at all.

When the sun started to set, the stick bug came downstairs to talk to her new helper.

“You see this flower?” she asked the child, showing him a single white flower in a glass display on one of the shelves.

He nodded, so she continued :

“It is best gathered in the moonlight. And I know there is a patch by Hulerces' place.”

Nymm perked up at this. He was ready to leave before she had even told him how to go there. This was his chance to see the other child again!

A bit later, as the moon was rising in the sky, Nymm reached the flower patch and picked some of them to put in the basket he had been given. Then he approached the house. Then he noticed the glowing scarlet eyes observing him through a window. He got even closer so he could talk to the other child.

“Hi Tiny”, he said.

“Greetings”, the other replied. “I do not like that name...”

“Sorry. Do you want me to call you something else?”

“Call me Grimm.”

“Grimm and Nymm. It sounds nice.”

The aspiring musician could not see Grimm's expression very well in the low light, but he could hear a hint of amusement in his voice when he agreed.

“I should thank you”, Nymm continued. “You were right about the herbologist. She gave me a bed and all!”

“I am glad.”

“So... where are you from? I've never seen anyone else like you.”

“Do you have all night?” Grimm asked.

Nymm hesitated. Did he? Would the herbologist worry about him or was she already asleep?

“Why don't you tell me about yourself instead?” Grimm suggested.

They kept talking until very late into the night.

Nymm kept sneaking out at night to go see Grimm through the window whenever he could. It was nice to have another child to hang out with. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they sat in silence while looking at the stars, sometimes they would trade nice-looking pebbles or other objects they had found.

One night, Nymm asked Grimm :

“Why don't you ever come outside? Then we can play hide and seek and- and other games. Whatever you want.”

The other sighed.

“Sadly I cannot go too far away from Hulerces. He has my charm, you see.”

“What's a charm?”

“It is... something that grants a bit more power to its wearer”, Grimm explained. “This one is special. My bound to it keeps me safe, but it also tethers me to the one wearing it. He refuses to give it back to me.”

“Does 'tether' means you have to stay near him always?”

“Indeed.”

“That doesn't sound fun”, Nymm said.

“Do not worry about me, my friend. Eventually I will be able to take it back from him and move freely again.”

“You can't take it now then?”

“He always has it on him and tends to wake up at the slightest touch”, Grimm stated. “Attempting to take it in his sleep would only make him furious. As soon as I grow strong enough, though... I will be able to overpower him. So I bid my time.”

“Oh. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You're already doing it. You are making the wait more bearable, and for this I am grateful.”

Nymm felt this was not enough.

He kept asking questions. About how Grimm's caretaker was treating him. About where he came from. He had mentioned bits and pieces here and there over time, but Nymm wanted to know more and his friend was more willing to open up now that they had known each other for a while.

Nymm found his story fascinating. He hang onto his every word, only interrupting occasionally to ask for clarifications. He silently wondered if he would ever get to see Grimm's Troupe.

A few days later, Hulerces stepped into the herbologist's shop, followed by Grimm as always. The giant struck a friendly conversation with the herbologist. Nymm picked up two stools, set them next to his friend, sat on one and invited Grimm to sit on the other, which he did.

It was nice to see him in the daylight for once.

“You really do bring this... child everywhere huh?” the herbologist commented. “You're truly inseparable.”

“That's because he literally can't get away”, Nymm mumbled.

“What was that?” Hulerces asked, turning to face him.

The aspiring musician stared at the wall not to have to hold the former soldier's gaze.

“Hulerces holds a charm that tethers me to him and refuses to give it back to me”, Grimm explained. “I physically cannot get too far away from him.”

“What?!”

It was the first time anyone here had ever heard this stick bug raise her voice.

“Hulerces”, she continued, “are you keeping him prisoner? Is that it?”

“I did not go through all the trouble of defeating the Nightmare King to let Tiny go”, the beetle said calmly.

“Give this... charm or whatever the word was”, the herbologist ordered him. “You can't keep him prisoner like this!”

The former soldier stepped closer to her. He could easily snap her in half with his huge horns if he wanted to.

“You have no idea what he really is. I do. I have seen it. The heart of all nightmares. This... thing... is in him now. And I am _not_ letting it loose on the world.”

“Wh- What are you t-talking about?” the herbologist stammered.

“The world was doing fine before I ended up in his care”, Grimm whispered to Nymm. “Letting me roam it again will not change anything. All he is doing is waste everybody's time.”

Hulerces turned to Nymm as well and warned him :

“Whatever he's saying to you, do not listen.”

The herbologist, doing her best to sound stern despite her voice still trembling, told the beetle to leave her shop.

She and Nymm remained in stunned silence for a while after the others had passed the exit door. During that time, the child thought of a plan.

“Do you have something to make him not wake up?” he asked, finally breaking the silence.

“As in kill him?” the herbologist replied. “I would get in trouble for this...”

“No, just... sleep deeper. So he doesn't wake up when Grimm gets his charm back and escapes.”

“Grimm?” she repeated. “Is that his real name?”

Nymm nodded.

“Fits him”, she commented. “Anyway, I think I have just the right plants here. It would take a lot for a bug Hulerces' size though...”

She picked up various plants from her shelves to bring them to her lab upstairs.

It was the middle of the night when Nymm showed up outside the usual window. Soon, the familiar red glow of Grimm's eyes appeared. The herbologist's helper slid him a big pouch full of powder.

“Slip all of it into Hulerces' drink before he goes to sleep”, he instructed. “He will stay asleep even if you touch him. Now you don't have to wait until you're older to get your charm back!”

“I... I cannot thank you enough”, Grimm told him as he took the pouch. “Thank you. I shall see you tomorrow.”

The very next night, it was Grimm's turn to stand outside the shop's window. Hulerces was nowhere in sight.

Nymm rushed out to hug his friend. He felt strangely warm. It was not exactly unpleasant, but it took a moment to get used to.

“It worked then!” Nymm exclaimed. “You got your charm back!”

Grimm gave the other a literal pat on the back.

“It was delicious”, he stated.

Before his friend could ask him what he meant, he added :

“I don't know if I am ready to lead the Troupe yet, but regardless... I would better go back to them now, before Hulerces realises what happened.”

Nymm's heart sank. They untangled themselves from each other.

“...You're leaving now then?”

“How could I ever repay you?” Grimm asked.

“Take me with you”, his friend replied. “To your Troupe. I'll join as, hum... Brumm? Something like that? I'll think of something better on the way.”

“Nymm. That is _not_ a reward.”

“I don't care”, Nymm insisted. “It's going to be boring here without you.”

“Do you realise what joining the Troupe really means?”

“What do I have to lose? There is nothing left for me in this place”, Nymm said.

 _Because you won't be here anymore_ , he did not say.

“What about your quest for an accordion teacher?” Grimm reminded him.

“I'll keep teaching myself.”

“...Very well. I will bring you to my realm. There you will have more time to decide whether you want to stay. Do not thank me.”

He took Nymm's hand and soon, in the spot where two children were standing a second before was a puff of red smoke.


End file.
